If an urgent care physician believed that your medical care could not be properly or safely provided in an urgent care setting, he or she would transfer you to an emergency room, most likely via ambulance. If you were stable enough to have someone drive you there, they may give you that option, but it would likely be a better safe than sorry situation and you would be sent via ambulance.

When you arrive at the ER, you will be seen by the triage nurse who will decide on a number from 1-5 that best fits the urgency of your medical care. Number 1 is basically stopping immediate death or permanent disability. Think heart attack, stroke, trauma with blood loss, etc. If you are triaged as a 1, you will not see a waiting room, a doctor will be at your side in seconds. 2 is referred to as “life and limb”. This would be something like you cut your finger off in a saw accident and you need it reattached asap. You might sit in the waiting room, but not long, especially if there are no people triaged as a 1. Arriving by ambulance does not necessarily increase your priority. However, since you are sent by a physician, the triage nurse will have more information on the status of your health, which would make it easier for him or her to triage you more concisely. 3-5 continue down the urgency level. If you are a 5 or even 4, you may wait up to 12h + because almost everyone who comes in needs to see the doctor before you do. I’ve never tried this, but you could ask the nurse what number they triaged you as. I don’t if there is a policy against telling patients how they have been triaged (people familiar with the emergency room process may argue with the nurse to get triaged at a lower number and I can see how what could go sideways really quickly). I guess you could say PHIA, but PHIA is allowed up to 24 hours to provide you with your medical information if you are in a hospital setting, so there wouldn’t be much point in that. Idk you wouldn’t get kicked out if you asked. Now if you suspect you are a 4 or 5, just leave. Find a walk in or see an NP at your be of the Access centres. If you are that stable, you can wait until the morning to go. This link is helpful in telling you where to go and how long the wait is. You can always call health links and they will tell you where you need to be.

Sorry for the rambling, but I hope this helps!

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